Gay Travel Buddy

Are you planning on a trip to San Diego?  Undoubtedly you will wind up in Hillcrest at some point, the majority of the gay bars and clubs are located in Hillcrest with a few in Down Town, North Park and Old Town.

Hillcrest has a great selection of restaurants, coffee shops and boutique shops to keep you busy for days.  There is an abundant supply of furniture shops, however much of what you see will be nearly impossible to take back on the plane with you and may be a bit pricey to ship.  There is a nice selection of clothing shops that have a nice array of lightly used clothing and new designer labels.  There have been higher end shops that have come and left over the years, the average gay resident in San Diego cannot afford such clothing.  As beautiful as San Diego may be it is not known for big industry due to its high cost and lack of quality talent, I have hired many people in San Diego and have found them to be very lazy and without experience.  I am originally from San Diego myself.

The majority of gay bars, clubs and restaurants are centrally located on University Ave, the range stretches from 3rd ave to Park on the far other end.  The West end of Hillcrest has Urban Moe’s a fun lively large bar with generous outdoor seating and a large range of diverse events every evening, check their site for details.  Fiesta Cantina is also near Urban Mo’s on the West end and is a very open bar with great drinks and a lively crowd.  The Brass Rail is also on the West end on 5th St, this bar is one of the oldest and has a difficult time creating an identity for itself so I cannot tell you what crowd you will find as it changes all the time.  #1 5th Ave is also on the West end, it is a large venue with outdoor seating in the back, the staff is friendly and they service a wickedly strong cocktail, this bar typically serves a more mature crowd but has a wide range of patrons.

The south end of Hillcrest has a gay hotel called the Park Manor Hotel, there is a very large bar on the roof.  Every Friday early is a happy hour that starts around 5pm and gets packed!  They have great views of Hillcrest and downtown, I highly suggest if you are not staying at this hotel to stop by for the happy hour, it is a ton of fun and you will likely meet some fun locals or tourists.  Some of best hotels are in the Gaslamp District, I suggest hotels from the Starwood chain like the W.

Centrally on University you will find Flicks a small video bar that has a pool table and has a nice range of events nightly.  I have had some great times at this bar over the years.  Just steps away is Rich’s a large dance club that tends to fill up after 10 or 11pm, there is commonly a cover charge and their drinks are a bit on the pricey side.  Recently a club called Universal was just across the street with a mix of Metro Sexual’s and twinky 20 something gay boys.  This place had attitude and the staff was very snooty, I was not sad to hear they went under.   Baja Betty’s a wonderful restaurant and gay bar is also in the center of Hillcrest with great food, service and a fun crowd.  Baja Betty can be quite a mess during Cinco de Drinko or Cinco de Mayo the 5th of May a big Mexican holiday.

On the East end of Hillcrest is Numbers, a large multi room dance club.  Numbers is generally your 20 something crowd and has great music, usually a cover charge and pricey drinks on Park.  Just across the street is the Flame another dance club with a nice range of events depending on the night, check their website to see what is going on as it changes.  100% worth the trip, my absolue favorite gay bar is on the other end of Park is called Bourbon Street. my personal favorite bar that has a generous patio out back and multiple bars, this is not a dance club but is a ton of fun.  Bourbon St now serves food as well, their events change from night to night so check out their website to find out what you are into.  Just around the corner is Cheers a small gay bar with a pool table, the staff is friendly and the crowd is a nice range of both younger and older.  You will also find Lei Lounge a bar/restaurant right next to Bourbon St.  The food is really good, the service is great, there are some really hot waiters there!

Like many gay centers, Hillcrest has a nice selection of gay gym’s.  You can find 24 hour fatness err fitness which is located on 5th near University, I went to take a picture of Gold’s and found it to be closed.  Also, I been asked several times if their are any Gay Bath Houses in San Diego, there is a very large one centrally located in Hillcrest called Club San Diego, on 4th ave.

Hillcrest Restaurants

While visiting Hillcrest you must eat at either the Tractor Room or Hash House a Go Go, located right across from each other on 5th.  They get PACKED! be sure to plan on getting their early in order to get a table.

San Diego Pride is a very large event, the celebration is found all around Hillcrest but the focus of the event will be found in Balboa Park, just south of Hillcrest.  The pictures below are of the part of Balboa Park where they setup the festival.  Balboa park is very large so be sure you know where you are going.  During pride taxi’s are a commodity that is very scarce, you will see tons of rickshaws around.  A word of warning, these guys are not cheap and you could pay 3-10x a normal taxi fare.  Make sure you ask how much before you hop in, they will try to lure you in.  Some of these guys are rather hot, and may be fun to watch sweat while you get a ride to your next bar.

Bourbon Street Hillcrest – Gay Bar – Restaurant

Gay Friendly Cities

I and many of our amazing contributors have been all over the US and over the world.  I am adding this page to try and help you determine if a city is friendly enough to visit.  Some places can be down right dangerous, for example its illegal to be gay in Jamaica, I have heard many horror stories.

But Moving on to my current home to start.

Austin - Is a very gay friendly town, a very large selection of Gay Bars, very gay friendly hotels like the W.  The new W is actually just around the block from Oil Can Harry’s.  Great restaurants as well, Santa Rita, Kerbey Lane Café and South Congress Cafe too name a few.  It’s sorta like San Francisco in a strange way, and a big music town.

Denver – Is an amazing, mostly gay friendly city. This city also has its share of religious nut cases who cause some trouble from time to time. From what I know of, there isn’t a specific gay hotel in Denver. However you have many options
downtown, including the Westin and Sheraton, which are both gay friendly. The mile high city also gets more sunny days than any other major city in the US. The Westin actually has this fairly strange indoor-outdoor pool, its rather unique as well as a gym. The famous Palms steak house is attached and is very good. Personally I prefer to patronize gay owned restaurants, so I wind up at Hamburger Marry’s a very large gay bar/restaurant/drag show.  You can find a good selection of Denver’s Gay Bars.

Las Vegas – This one is really on the fence for a full recommendation. If you have other options, I think you should consider them. Even with such a huge service industry, overall Las Vegas is not all that gay friendly. Promoters like J.Son are
trying to change that; he was able to convince the Luxor to host the only weekly gay pool party throughout the summer season. In the 90’s their spa became a little hot spot for gay men, however the Luxor had security in they’re at all hours throwing them out. This is a big change in direction. On the other hand you have hotels like the Encore who have pages promoted online about being gay friendly. They forgot to tell their staff about that. Even the high priced hookers wouldn’t leave me alone; she couldn’t believe I was gay.

Las Vegas has only 1 all gay hotel that is clothing optional called Blue Moon Resort, located just West of the North end of the strip. On the strip there is one gay nightclub called Krave. It is not open every night, there is always a high priced
cover and the drinks though strong are very expensive. It’s on the south side of Planet Hollywood off Harmon. Just east on Harmon a few blocks and a right turn on Paradise will get you into what’s known as the fruit loop. You have multiple
bar options here, 8 ½ and Piranha are connected, and this is a higher end bar/dance club. As well as Gipsy, which is just next-door. Across the street you will find Buffalo, a mixed crowd with pool tables. Just to the right of Buffalo is an adult video and toy store. Across from The Buffalo is Free Zone, make sure you check out their calendar before going, they host many ladies nights as well.  There are quite a few more gay bars, my personal favorite is Charlies which is located West of the strip off Tropicana and on Arville in what looks like an industrial business building.  Starwood has one hotel just east of the strip on Flamingo, its a Westin, has a small casino as well.

San Diego - My home town, most of the gay activity is centralized in one area called Hillcrest.  You will find a nice selection of gay bars, restaurants of all types, gay gyms like 24 hour fitness, and shopping galore.  However, like San Francisco there are few hotel options.  There are tons of gay friendly hotels in down town San Diego near the Gas Lamp District that has great restaurants, shopping and gay bars.  San Diego offers lots of beach options, however I believe all of the beaches are now alcohol free and the police will check coolers.  San Diego does not have a very user friendly public transportation system, so consider renting a car.

San Francisco - Ok yeah, duh San Francisco is a very gay friendly town.  You might be surprised to know that its not the highest population of Gay people, Dallas I believe is number 1 then Los Angeles and then NYC.  San Francisco is very diverse, although the Castro is the heart of anything Gay, you can find gay establishments all over the city.  The city is broken into many districts, The Castro, The Haight, Lower Haight, Nob Hill, Lower Nob Hill, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf is a huge tourist trap, avoid at all cost.  The older gayborhood was on Polk St. so you can find a few bars in that area as well.  I can’t think of any major hotel in the city not being friendly, now some of the smaller cheap “weekly” rate type places.  The largest concentration of Gay Bars is in The Castro, then in SOMA there are some of the more leather, daddy type places.  My current favorite bar in The Castro is Blackbird, a laid back gay bar with an awesome staff.  My other favorite is a wine bar called Blush, amazing wine, food and people!  San Francisco also throws and incredible pride event every year, you just missed it this year but if you have the chance you must see it.  The Castro has very few options when it comes to lodging, I would suggest trying Union Square.  Most of the best shopping is in Union Square.  There are also several options for gay gyms in The Castro, 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym to name a few.

Seattle – Other than the lack of warm days, Seattle is extremely gay friendly with the majority of activities, including bars and restaurants are located in Capitol Hill. Very close to down town, it’s a bit of a hike if you choose to walk it. The hills are nowhere as steep as San Francisco but if its cold enough you will regret not taking a cab or driving. Be very mindful of the parking signs, they have some of the strangest parking restrictions I have ever seen in the US. They do not color the curbs either, my first visit I wound up getting a nice fine, nowhere near a fire hydrant.

Like Portland, there is a large hipster community, however not as intrusive. Washington State also has the highest taxes on alcohol so when you walk into a dive bar and get charged $10 for something most other places would be $4-5.  Gay Bars and Night Clubs list.

As any big city, Seattle has tons of hotel options. My personal favorites are Starwood properties. The Westin is one of the largest and is not owned by Starwood, it is a franchise. They are undergoing renovations; their new rooms are very nice if you can get one. Some of their older rooms do show their age, ask if you can get a remodeled room.  We have a short list of gay friendly hotels in Seattle.

This article is a work in progress and not close to being done.

San Diego Gay Zoo Party

One of my personal favorite circuit parties at the San Diego Zoo.  Nothing is funnier than watching families leaving the zoo and are freaked watching all of the boys coming into the party.  Sorry if I am repeating this so often, but San Diego is well known for their agressive DUI/DWI arrests, if you can take a cab.  Don’t give them a reason, they will pull you over and if you admit to even one drink they will test you.  It’s just not worth it!

The last time I went the kids that worked in the park, who where old enough where serving the drinks at the party.  It was fun to watch them, a slight bit of horror, but more interest and curiosity than anything.

The San Diego Zoo is right next to Hillcrest and is also next to Balboa Park where the San Diego Pride Festivities are held.

If you like a sea of hot shirtless boys, this is your party.  It is held out door’s and the music is great.   From what I can tell the prices are $85 in advance and $100 at the door.  Yikes!

The DJ’s listed are Wayne G, Joe Gauthreaux, and Price Poppycock

2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego

San Diego Gay Pride 2011

This year San Diego’s Pride is Saturday the 16th of July and Sunday.

If you have not been to San Diego’s Pride yet, you are in for a real treat.  The only other gay pride festival I have seen in a public park was is Brighton, UK.  San Diego in July is fairly warm and not that humid, so you can walk around and not feel like a wet rag.  The festival is on the South Western side of Balboa Park, directly under the landing path of the airport, I am sure this is the prize park location that the fine Republican city of San Diego would provide.  The festival is near Laurel and 6th, when you get there you will have a hard time missing it.  Parking is very tough this weekend, if you can avoid driving it will lift a huge burdon.  The festival is open noon till 10pm Saturday and 11am to 8pm Sunday.

I tried to pull down a map from the official website, but the brochure is in a format that you cannot do anything with.

Not sure if its still done, but some of the bars do increase their drink prices for the festivities and cut the liquor pour quite dramatically.  You have a huge selection of bars to visit if you so desire, please be aware I have never seen a city more agressive about drunk driving and they will be all over the place.  Here is a short list of bars available.

Flicks A video bar with a pool table, they also have a patio out front.  If I recall they take the pool table out during Pride.

Urban Mo’s A large indoor outdoor bar and restaurant.  Very popular.

Fiesta Cantina Yes, the same bar from West Hollywood has come to San Diego.  They are right next door to Urban Mo’s

The Flame The Flame is a fairly large bar, events and venue change all the time.

Rich’s Is a very large multi bar dance club, almost always a cover charge

Numbers Another large dance club with multi dance floors and bars

The Flame Across from Numbers is the Flame, another large dance club, different events all the time.

Bourbon St Is a fun indoor/outdoor bar perfect for summer in San Diego.

Cheers A small locals bar, great drink prices not far from Bourbon St.

Hotels:

The host hotel for 2011 is The Handerly Resort & Spa, be aware its not in walking distance to Hillcrest, however they are hosting the Gay Pool Party on Saturday July 16th.

Hillcrest itself does not have many hotel options, however its not far from downtown or better known as the Gas Lamp District.  Here are the hotels that I know of.

Studio 819 A budget hotel, nightly, weekly and monthly hotel.  Yes, you may look at a map and say, wow its so central.  I would really stay somewhere else.

Park Manor A older, however extremely well kept luxury hotel.  This one is much closer to the Festival, they also have a bar on the top level which is a weekly Friday happy hour spot.

W San Diego – Located in the Gas Lamp District downtown, but a very short cab ride to everything.  There is nothing like staying at the W.

Sheraton Down Town – They say Sheraton Suites, so its possible all the rooms are suites.

US Grant also Down Town – A luxury Starwood property and not horribly far from Hillcrest

Rickshaw’s

San Diego pride is covered is Rickshaw’s, it may sound like a great idea until you realize a cab would have been 1/10th the price nor would you have to endure the fine odor of a poor guy who has been riding all day.  Just saying!

Safety Info

As with any city that has such a large republican community, the protesters will be there.  The police always block them from getting in, but its always the religious nut cases that are itching to do something.  Just be aware, normally this is one of the safest parts of town.

Pride Circuit Parties

The Pride Ball – Kick off party @ Spin Night Club Friday July 15th starts at 10pm.

Gay Pool Party – Hosted by the 2011 host hotel The Handerly.

Zoo Party – The Zoo party has always been fun, it starts Sunday the 17th at 4pm near the entrance of the San Diego Zoo.

The Closing Party – Also Sunday, held in the Gas Lamp District at On Broadway at 10pm.  A nice place, but the staff have attitude problems.

Restaurants

Brian’s – Is a staple diner in Hillcrest, most known for their breakfast and brunch.  One of my personal Fav’s

Hash House a Go Go – Another great breakfast/brunch place, however prepare to stand in line any weekend, especially Pride.

Tractor Room – I seem to be in a breakfast theme, but right across from the Hash House.  All 3 of these options are amazing.

Lei Lounge – Just next to Bourbon St. Bar, is Lei Lounge, they have outside seating and some of the booth’s have fire pits.

Ortega’s – Located near Urban Mo’s and Fiesta Cantina.  This is one of my favorite mexican restaurants anywhere.

There are dozen Star Bucks around, but only one Peet’s – My favorite, right next door to Urban Mo’s

Gay Bath House

Club San Diego – A large multi level bath house,

Cheer’s is a small gay bar that has been around for many years, they are located in University Heights which is just outside Hillcrest.  Cheer’s has a pool table and one bar, the staff for the most part is friendly except when they are really busy.  I have seen them get a hair testy at that point.  There is a small outside patio where you can drink and smoke.  This place is mostly a local’s spot, tourists typically do not find it since its not advertised.  It’s just around the corner from Bourbon St. which is a large gay bar and Lei lounge a restaurant and gay bar as well.

1839 Adams Ave, 619-298-3269

Even though this is a straight bar I thought since it’s so close to Bourbon Street and Lei Lounge, I would let you know what’s going on inside this busy bar.  Small Bar has a large selection of very nice beers on tap, at least 50 from what they told me.  The beer’s are not your typical crap Yard House selection either, this is more of a San Francisco micro brew beer bar with only very high quality beers.  So if you happen to be a beer nut and want to have a nice beer on your visit to San Diego I would stop in here.  The crowd was pretty nice, even though I could not find a gay guy in the whole place.

4628 Park Blvd, 619-795-7998

Lei Lounge is a great restaurant in Hillcrest/University Heights with a unique menu that is well put together.  It’s a TAPAS style menu so you want to order a bunch of different stuff and share, or if you are a greedy little bitch you can get anything you want.  But the Lobster Mac and Cheese is to die for, you must order it!!  Often times there are some very hot waiters to keep you busy or to piss off your boyfriend since you can’t stop looking at him!  They also have a full bar up front and the crowd changes all the time so its hard to write any specific information about the types of people who show up here.  In the back of the restaurant out in the patio they have seating next to fire pits, you may want to make a reservation in advance if you want to sit at these very cool seats.  Lei Lounge is right next to Bourbon Street and Small Bar and just around the corner from Cheers.

4622 Park Blvd, 619-813-2272

When I lived in San Diego my favorite gay dance club was always numbers, it may have been since it was the first gay dance club I had ever gone to but I was made to feel welcomed and they showed me a great time.  Numbers is split into 2 main rooms, usually with different music on each end.  There are a total of 3 bars and several pool tables.  They have different events all the time so check out their website for details.  I have even attended some of the local gay organizations that have their meetings at Numbers.  It’s a great way to meet locals and to see what activities are going on.  These can range from bike riding to jet ski riding, surfing and many other options.

Numbers are some great drink specials from time to time, sometimes the DJ will call out a special that is good at that moment.  This place tends to get busy after 10 and the crowd is mostly 20′s and 30′s but they are open to all sorts.  Numbers is located on the Eastern end of Hillcrest and just off Park Blvd across the street from the Flame.

3811 Park Blvd, 619-294-9005

The Flame is a gay dance club and bar that has been in Hillcrest since well before I was born and I am in my 30′s.  The venue has changed from a boy’s bar to a girl’s bar and now back to a boy’s bar with girl’s nights.  Yeah that hurts to read.  Depending on the night, the music can be great and from time to time they bring in DJ’s from abroad which can be a fun change.  They usually charge cover, but when it’s busy it can be a lot of fun.  As I have mentioned in the past San Diego is not a city to try drinking and driving, the police are very aggressive and will pull you over for the slightest veering at night.  If you tell them that you have even had one drink they will test you, even if you don’t blow a .08 they can take you in no matter what.  They will try to push through a conviction even if you did nothing wrong to see if it will stick!  Do yourself a favor and don’t drive if you are going to drink!  But if you get pulled over and you don’t smell like a bar do yourself a favor and tell them you don’t drink.  If they don’t suspect that you have been drinking they won’t test you.

The Flame is just across the street from Numbers another large and fun gay dance club and Urban Grind a nice coffee shop with great pastries and wireless internet.

3780 Park Blvd, 619-795-8578